Pharmacist CV Sample: 20+ Examples and Writing Tips

It’s a bitter pill to swallow:

The job market for pharmacists is saturated.

And even though the BLS predicts the demand for pharmaceutical services will grow, there’s only room for the best.

This is why your pharmacist CV must prove to the recruiter—

You simply cannot be dispensed with.

This guide will show you:

• Best pharmaceutical CV examples that get jobs.
• How to ace your retail pharmacy job description on a CV.
• How to write CVs for pharmacist positions that get the interview.
• Expert tips and examples to boost your chances of landing jobs in pharmacies.

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Need help with a different kind of CV? Explore our other guides:

• Pharmacy Technician CV
• Lab Technician CV Examples
• Doctor CV Examples

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Pharmacist CV—Sample

1. Choose the Best Pharmacist CV Format

Most people don’t realise ibuprofen is marketed under 20+ brand names in the US alone.

They usually go for the one they feel most familiar with.

The same is true about your pharmacist CV format.

A recruiter will look at a heap of 250+ CVs, so—

Choose the one that feels most familiar.

• Fall back on the reverse-chronological CV format. It gives priority to your experience and achievements.
• Stick to simple and readable CV fonts ranging between 10 and 14pt. Add simple headings. Keep clutter at bay and embrace white space.
• Choose the best CV length: aim for a one-pager unless you have lots of experience.
• Begin with your pharmacist CV objective or summary. The experience and education sections should go right below.
• Yourskills will become more prominent if you list them in a key skills section. Don’t fail to mention the professional organisations you’re a member of. Add sections on your interests and foreign languages.

Expert Hint: It’s usually a good idea to save your pharmacy manager CV as a PDF. Its formatting will stay unaffected and the ATS will still be able to scan it.

2. Start with a Pharmacist CV Objective That Turns Heads

The best way to start a pharmacist CV?

Administer a loading dose of your skills and experience.

Follow the formula below to achieve the best results, and avoid side-effects. Here's how to write your CV objective or CV summary:

1. An adjective

2. Job title

3. Years of experience

4. What you can offer and how it will help

5. Your biggest achievement

Pharmacist CV Summary Example

See the difference?

The good example is worthy of the next Jesse Boot.

The bad one—not only generic but also substandard.

What If You’ve Got No Pharmacy Experience?

No one will cut you any slack.

Sorry.

Your entry-level CV for a pharmacist must deliver from the start.

Here’s what to do—

Write a pharmacist CV objective. Not a summary.

The difference?

Pharmacist CV objectives focus on skills and relevant accomplishments. If you’re a fresher, bring up your education and internships.

CV for Pharmacist Fresher—CV Objective

Ouch.

The bad example hurts.

And you’re the last person who wants to hurt people.

So don’t—

Follow the good example.

Expert Hint: Write your intro statement at the very end. The idea behind your pharmacist CV objective or summary is that of a short version of your entire CV. But it may be hard to come up with the short version if the long one doesn’t yet exist.

3. Write the Perfect Retail Pharmacist Job Description and Skills Sections

Do you know the difference between the customer and the recruiter?

The recruiter can tell the placebo from the real thing. Blindfolded.

So—

Don’t try to fool them with sugar pills.

Make your pharmacist CV job description deliver.

1. Revisit the job ad.

2. Look out for the pharmacist skills the employer is after.

3. Describe your pharmacist experience with the keywords from the job ad.

Retail Pharmacist CV—Job Description

The difference is striking, but let’s give it a closer look anyway.

Here’s the thing:

If you’re applying to a large company, your pharmacist CV will be machine-read by the ATS (Applicant Tracking System) before a human recruiter sees it.

In fact, about 75% of recruiters say they fall back on the ATS.

Now—

ATSs look for pharmacist CV keywords to preliminarily judge whether or not a candidate is qualified to do the job.

If the keywords are missing, the CV is a no-no. This is why your pharmacist CV job description must be based on the job ad.

Simple.

But that’s not the end of story.

In fact, this is where things start to get interesting.

Now, your hospital pharmacist CV needs to impress the recruiter.

First of all—

Go for action words. The “responsible for” cliché doesn’t communicate anything meaningful.

In contrast, such verbs as provided, processed, dispensed, maintained, assisted, or counselled tell the recruiter exactly what you did.

Next—

Quantify your pharmacist job duties. Add numbers and percentages to show how well you performed.

You don’t have to put a number everywhere on your pharma CV.

Cherry pick up to 2-3 achievements that you take pride in and can easily quantify. Put them in a special key achievements subsection.

Pharmacist CV Sample—Key Achievements

This makes all the difference in the world.

But—

There’s more to it.

Make sure the pharmacy skills on your CV are clearly visible.

Mind you, though. Don’t just put any skills you think are ok. Put the pharmacy skills needed by the employer specifically.

Go back to the job listing to see if the skills for a pharmacist are mentioned there. Use the pharmacy skills below as a source of inspiration.

Pharmacist—Skills for CV

• Retail Pharmacy Operations
• Drug Utilisation
• Compounding
• Inventory Control
• Patient Counselling
• Pharmaceutical Research
• PharmaSys
• HIPAA Trained
• OBRA-90
• PioneerRX
• Medicare
• Medicaid
• MedE America
• Interpersonal skills
• Presentation skills
• Rapport building
• Collaboration
• Relationship building
• Time management
• Problem-solving

The ResumeLab builder is more than looks. Get specific content to boost your chances of getting the job. Add job descriptions, bullet points, and skills. Easy. Improve your CV in our CV builder now.

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Nail it all with a splash of colour, choose a clean font, highlight your skills in just a few clicks. You’re the perfect candidate and we’ll prove it. Use the ResumeLab builder now.

Expert Hint: Avoid putting too many skills on your pharmacist CV. List the ones you have a good grasp of and leave out all the rest. This way you’ll avoid the so-called presenter’s paradox.

4. Turn Boring Education Into a Reason to Hire You

Here’s a thought.

Without proper education, you wouldn’t target pharmacy jobs.

So—

Make the most of your CV education section.

List the coursework you did at school, mention any relevant extracurricular activities, and show off your GPA if it’s higher than 3.5.

It is easy, isn’t it?

Clinical Pharmacist CV—Education

Expert Hint: As you become more and more experienced, the recruiter’s attention will naturally shift towards your professional experience. A pharmacy manager CV education section could be limited to the graduation date, school name, and degree.

6. Sprinkle Your Pharmacist CV With These Bonus Sections

How to raise the hiring manager’s serotonin levels?

Plant a couple of happy pills here and there.

To ultimately convince them you’re the one, add extra CV sections listing your:

• Certifications and licences—to show you’re fully qualified and serious about professional development
• Membership in professional associations—to prove you truly belong with the industry
• Interests—to show you’re an interesting person to hang out with
• Knowledge of foreign languages—to prove you can take care of international customers

Hospital Pharmacist CV Sample—Certifications

• North American Pharmacist Licensure Exam (NAPLEX)
• California Pharmacy Jurisprudence Exam (CPJE)
• Pharmacy-Based Immunisation Delivery Certificate (APhA)

CVS Pharmacy CV Sample—Associations

• American Pharmacists Association (APhA)—Member

New Graduate Pharmacist CV Example—Interests

• Healthy lifestyle/cuisine
• Crossfit

Staff Pharmacist CV Example—Interests

• Spanish (Advanced)
• German (Conversational)

Double your impact with a matching CV and cover letter combo. Use our cover letter builder and make your application documents pop out.

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Want to try a different look? There’s 18 more. A single click will give your document a total makeover. Pick a cover letter template here.

Expert Hint: Double your pharmacist CV impact with a pharmacy cover letter. Less than 50% of the candidates attach one, but more than 50% of the recruiters expect to find it.

Key Points

To write the best pharmacist CV:

• Choose the best pharmacist CV template. A new graduate pharmacist CV experience section doesn’t call for as much room as an experienced pharmacist CV.
• Make your pharmacy CV look exceptional. Make it one-page long. Use white space to your advantage. Keep it nice and clean by including only relevant experience.
• Respond to a specific job offer. The pharmacy skills on your CV must target a particular job ad.
• Make the most of your education background. Pay particular attention to this section when preparing an entry-level pharmacist CV.
• Douse it with the good stuff. Show the recruiter you’re a well-rounded candidate. All your certifications, interests, and membership in professional organisations should make their way to your pharmacist CV.

Questions on how to write the best pharmacist CV? Want to share advice on how to prepare a CV for pharmacist jobs (hospital pharmacist CV or clinical pharmacist CV)? Need to write a pharmacist cover letter? We’d love to hear from you. Leave your comment below.